Link coupler



Sepf. 2 1924. 1,507,177

F. W. HENRIKSQN LINK COUPLER Filed Sent. 13. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 2 1924.

F. W. HENRIKSON LINK COUPIJER Patented Sept. 2, lQZ'ZL.

FRANK W. HENEIKSO'N, OF MULBERRY, KANSAS.

LINK COUPLER.

Application filed. September 13, 1921. Serial 1T0. 500,387.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK Humanson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mulberry, in the county of Crawford, State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Link Couplers, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to link couplers and more particularly to an improved type of link coupler connected to a dinkey or other motor engine and adapted to be coupled to 0 the usual hook on a mine car.

At the present time, dinkeys are coupled to mine cars by three chain links. One of the links of the chain 1s coupled to the clevis of the dinkey drawbar by the usual coupling pin, while the other link of the chain is passed over the stationary hook on the. mine car. When the dinkey is to be uncoupled from a mine car, the operator on the dinkey pulls the pin which couples the link of the chain with the drawbar on the dinkey, which leaves the chain attached to the hook on the car. It is desirable to uncouple the link from the hook, leaving the link attached to the dinkey and not to the mine car, but this is not practical because there is no operative on the mine car to do this uncoupling. The operative is on the dinkey and he cannot uncouple the links from the hook on the car. lVhen the operator on the dinkey releases the pin to uncouple the links from the drawbar, the links remain with the car so that the next time a coupling is necessary, the operative on the dinkey has to supply a new. chain which he couples by means of the coupling pin to the drawbar of the dinkey and this link is then hooked over the hook of the mine car to complete the coupling.

The present invention permits the dinkey to be coupled and uncoupled from the mine car by an improved link in which the operative on the dinkey can uncouple the link from the stationary hook on the car, thus leaving the link attached to the drawbar on the dinkey so that it can be used again when another car is tobe. coupled.

Another object of this invention resides in providing such a construction in which the link can be coupled and uncoupled by an operative located at any convenient place on the dinkey.

Yet another object of this invention resides in providing a coupling link and operating mechanism therefor which permits the uncoupling to take place automatically on the creation of a slack between the dinkey and mine car.

Another feature. of this invention resides in providing a flexible link made collapsible in order to prevent the link from being damaged when the din :ey and mine car come together.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a collapsible link which can fold upwardly only, so that the link will always be rigid when lowered in order to per mit it to pass over the stationary hook on the mine car.

Still another feature of the invention resides in providing means to maintain the link proper in a normally downardly inclined position so as to permit it to more easily withdraw from the hook on the mine car on the creation of a slack.

Still another object resides in providing the link with a collapsible connection with the dinkey drawbar and in providing means for raising and lowering the links, said means being constructed to maintain the connection rigid during the raising and lowering.

These. and other: objects will be manifest from a perusal of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved coupler showing its relation to the dinkey;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof slightly enlarged;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the chain control for raising and lowering the link proper;

Fig. 4c is a detail view of the link construction Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the lower frame 1 of the dinkey is provided with a suitable squared aperture 2 for the reception of the drawbar 3. The drawbar is provided with a draft device comprising a plate t suitably bolted as at 5 to the inside of the dinkey frame wall 1, and provided with a central aperture through which freely passes the drawbar 3. On each side of this aperture, the plate is provided with integral webs 6 which form guides for the drawbar and adjacent these guides the plate is formed with studs 7 providing centering means for coiled springs 8 which are: compressed between the plate and a head 9 fixed to the outer end of the drawbar. This head is likewise provided with centering studs 10 for the springs 8. By this construct-ion, the coupling is relieved of all sudden shocks incident to the coupling operation.

The outer end 11 of the drawbar 3 or the drawbar head is apertured as usual to receive the coupling pin 12 which passes through a likewise apertured tongue 13 of the improved link coupling.

This coupling is composed of two end blocks 14 and 15 concatenated by a series of spaced links presently to be described. The inner block 14 is the member which is formed with the tongue 13. The outer end of this block 14 is preferably rounded like -a link as at 16 and it is formed with three slots or recesses 17, 18 and 19. The outer slots 17 and 19 receive the rounded ends of the connecting links 20 and 22, while the recess 18 receives the link 21 and also forms This chaln isv a passage for a chain 23. attached as at 24 to the upper portion of link '21 and passes over the top of the inner rounded end thereof into passage 18 and then beneath. a friction roller 23 which is carried by the block 14 and is arranged in this recess 18 to serve as a guide for the chain 23. The drawhead 11 is cut away in the form of an arcuate slot 25 to permit the passage of the chain upwardly through ate link 21 is wider than links 20 and 22,

26 and 27. Links 20, 21 and 22 are provided on their outer ends with a cross bar 30 attached by screws 31 or other suitable means. This bar is located just at the point where the flat portion of the link merges into .its rounded end and constitutes a stop which cooperates with lugs 32 formed on the under surfaces of the rounded ends of the intermediate links 33, 34, 35 and 36 to prevent links 33 to 36 dropping'below a horizontal plane with reference to the links 20, 21, 22, 26 and 27, or to prevent the pivotal connection breaking downwardly. These links 33 to 36 are pivotally joined to links 20, 21, 22, 26 and 27 by means of pivotal pin 37 likewise provided with cotter pins on its extremities for holding the links assembled. The outer rounded ends of links 33 to 36 inclusive, fit into spaced slots formed in the outer block 15 and are joined thereto by the pivotal pin 38. The under surface of the outer rounded portions of links 33 to 36 are provided with lugs 39 which cooperate with abutments or walls 40 in the slots of the block 15 to provide stops to prevent the block 15 swinging or breaking be-j low a horizontal plane relative to links 33 to 36, inclusive.

Block 15 is rounded on its extreme end and is provided with the lateral cutouts 41 and 42, each having a face 43 which is not quite vertical and a lower face 44 which is inclined slightly downwardly from a true horizontal plane.

The link proper 45 is provided with two hooked or inwardly projecting lugs which pass into lateral bores 46 and 47 in an intermediate portion 48 of the block 15. By means of this construction, the link proper is pivotally attached to the block and is capable of swinging to almost a vertical position as when'raised and also to a lowered position in which the link is disposed below the horizontal plane of the chain. This downwardly inclined position of the link 45 permits it to slip out of the stationary hook 46 more readily on the creation of a slack.

Referring now to the chain 22 for raising and lowering the link proper 45, it will be seen that the upper end of the chain s provided with a connecting rod 47 formed with an eye 48 attached to an L-shaped arm 49 pivoted to an oscillatable rod 50 journaled on the frame 1 of the dinkey above the rod 47. A coiled spring 51 surrounds rod 50, the same being attached to the frame at one end and the other end 52 to the arm 49. The rod 50 is likewise provided with a connecting link 53 extending upward vertically and is formed with a slot 54 to receive an operating rod 55 running to any convenient point on the dinkey. By means of this construction an operator on the dinkey can pull rod 55 which will oscillate rod 50 and put spring 51 under tension since arm 49 cannot move due to the drawing load between the dinkey and the train of cars. However, as soon as a slack arises, this load is released and arm 49 is raised by the tension of coiled spring 51 whereby to automatically lift chain 23. The chain 23 being connected to link 21, all the links are raised since they cannot break at their junction, due to the locking abutments 30, 32 and 39 and 40. It will be noted in Fig.1 that the slot 25 is wide enough to permit considerable back and forth play of link 47. This play when cooperating with the pivotal connection of the link 47 to the upper end of the flexible chain, together with the pivotal connection between the link 47 and the arm 49, plus also the pivotal connection of the arm 49 with rod 50, provides a suflicient lost motion in the connection between the chain links and the rod 50, to accommodate the usual draft movement of the drawhead 11 as it compresses the spring 8. It is also manifest that the chain 23 itself possesses a certain amount of inherent play between the links to abet this lost motion connection.

Hence it will be seen that the link 45 is swung upwardly to clear the hook 46. This action is automatic on the creation of a slack.

W hen uncoupled, the link 45 is carried in raised position and is dropped at the proper time to pass over hook 45 to couple to a mine car.

lVhile the connected links are not permitted to break downwardly because of the locking lugs 30, 32 and 39 and 40, the links are free to collapse upwardly to prevent the destruction of the link in case of collision. It is not intended to restrict the invention herein to the precise form illustrated, and described except in so far as it is limited by the terms of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a draw-bar of a dinkey or the like, a coupling member adapted to detachably couple to the cooperative coupling member of a mine car, a collapsible connection between said draw-bar and said first-mentioned coupling member, said connection being pivotally connected to said draw-bar to swing in a horizontal plane, and means for raising and lowering said first-mentioned coupling member, said collapsible connection and pivotal connection being constructed and arranged. to maintain the connection substantially rigid during the raising and lowering movement.

2., In combination with the drawbar of a dinkey or the like, a'link coupling adapted to couple to the hook of a mine car, a series of pivotally connected links pivotally connected to said drawbar to swing in a horizontal plane, means to prevent the pivotal connection between said links and between said links and said draw-bar, from breaking downwardly, and means for raising and lowering the first of said series of links whereby said connection between said drawbar and coupling link is maintained rigid during the raising and lowering movement.

3. In combination with the drawbar of a dinkey, a series of links pivoted to said drawbar, a second series of links pivotally connected to said first mentioned links to break upwardly only, a link coupling pivotally connected to said second series of links to break upwardly only, and means for raising and lowering said first mentioned links to swing said link coupling to raised or lowered position.

t. In combination with the drawbar of a dinkey, a recessed block pivoted thereto to swing in a horizontal plane, a friction roller journaled in said recess, a series of links pivoted to said block for vertical oscillation, a second series of links pivoted to said first mentioned links, a link coupling pivoted to said second named links, the pivotal connections between said links and between said links and link coupling being constructed to prevent downward pivotal movement of said members below the horizontal plane of movement of said recessed block, a chain connected to the upper portion of one of said first named links, said chain passing over said link into the recess of said block and beneath said friction roller, a lever passing downwardly through a recess in said drawbar and connected to said chain, and means for raising and lowering said lever.

5. In combination with the draw bar of a dinkey or the like, a link adapted to couple to the hook of a mine car, a connection between said drawbar and link, and means for automatically raising said link 011 the creation of a slack.

6. In combination with the frame of a dinkey, a drawbar resiliently connected thereto, a link adapted to couple to the hook of a mine car, a collapsible connection between said drawbar and link, means for automatically raising and lowering said link on the creation of a slack, said means and said connection being arranged to maintain the connection substantially rigid during the raising and lowering of said link.

7. In combination with the drawbar of a dinkey, an outer block, an inner block adapted to be pivotally connected to said draw-bar to swing in a horizontal plane a collapsible linkage connection between said inner and outer blocks constructed and arranged to be maintained substantially rigid on swinging movement, a link couplin pivotally connected to said outer block and adapted to normally lie downwardly inclined to a horizontal plane, and means for operating said linkage connected to raise and lower said link.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANK W. HENRIKSON. 

